Healing Thresholds Autism Therapy Topic Feed

St. Kitts/Nevis Federation Hopeful About Autism Early Intervention Center

scottie — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:19:19 +0000

Teaser:

The Ministry of Education on St. Kitts, with funding UNESCO, held an autism training workshop.

Body:

The Ministry of Education on St. Kitts, with UNESCO funding, held an autism training workshop. For two days, preschool teachers, special education professionals, day care supervisors, and nurses learned about recognizing early signs of autism in children. The Principal at the Special Education Unit on Nevis, Mrs. Violet Clarke, hopes this education results in an early intervention center. “The centre will be set up as a demonstration environment to provide training for parents, nurses, preschool providers and teachers. Children will have the opportunity to be screened and receive intervention programmes designed by a multi professional team,” she explained. The focus therapies for the children will be speech and occupational therapies in order to best increase social and communication skills. Clarke hopes this goal will prompt different governmental and educational agencies to work together, sharing knowledge and funding.

Read original article: UNESCO Workshop on Nevis Draws Attention to Federation's Children with Autism

Speech Clinic Teaches Life Skills to Kids with Autism from Childhood Through Young Adulthood

scottie — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:17:59 +0000

Teaser:

Speech Therapy Associates is a California location where kids with autism are served from preschool through high school.

Body:

Speech Therapy Associates is a California location where kids with autism are served from preschool through high school. They believe that communication is a crucial life skill for kids to adapt. They also understand that skills a child with autism gains at the middle school age may need to be updated when the youngster transitions to the workforce. The clinic offers several levels of therapy: Building Blocks is for 18 months to 5 years and focuses on language and social skills; Circle of Friends is a social group where children learn turn-taking and social skills; and Building Connections is for teens and young adults to learn transition skills into a college or work situation.

Read original article: Students with Autism Learn Life Skills in Lodi

Easter Seals Opens New Pre-School in Illinois for Children with Autism

scottie — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:19:26 +0000

Teaser:

Easter Seals in Peoria opened a pre-school for children with autism.

Body:

Easter Seals in Peoria opened a pre-school for children with autism. The Intensive Therapeutic Autism Program will focus on applied behavior analysis (ABA) and DIR/Floortime. This “bridge” to kindergarten will help kids increase academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally. The 3-hour-a-day, 2-day-a-week program is designed to complement current early intervention services. The class team includes an early childhood educator, speech therapist, occupational therapist, a certified ABA therapist, and several aides.

Read original article: Easter Seals to Provide Pre-School for Kids with Autism

Listening Therapy Center Opens in the Philippines

scottie — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:28:10 +0000

Teaser:

Dr. Gina Diaz-Cembrano recently opened the I Listen Enhancement Center for Maximum Learning in the Philippines.

Body:

Dr. Gina Diaz-Cembrano recently opened the I Listen Enhancement Center for Maximum Learning in the Philippines. Although a dentist by training, Gina felt teaching preschool was a better way to help families who had children with autism and other developmental issues such as ADHD. The center uses the Tomatis Method. Gina explains, “The Tomatis method re-trains the listening system by using electronically modified music and language to re-educate, stimulate and improve the way in which we process auditory information.” Children with learning disabilities often have difficulty in communication and social interaction, the Tomatis methods attempts to increase listening skills, communication, and memory and attention. Gina has seen that Tomatis worked well with other therapies including occupational therapy, sensory integration, and speech therapy.

Read original article: All Ears for the Tomatis Method

Welcome Home is a Preschool Program for Children with Autism

scottie — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:27:47 +0000

Teaser:

Welcome Home is a preschool program in New Jersey for kids with autism.

Body:

Welcome Home is a preschool program in New Jersey for kids with autism. Children can choose between morning or afternoon classes, which will be held at the Glenloch Terrace Early Childhood Center. The program is a way to keep children with special needs in the school district without spending funds to send them to other districts for academics and therapies. Plus the kids are more comfortable in their own community. Melanie Terreri, a certified special ed teacher, will lead Welcome Home with skills she learned at Y.A.L.E. School. Her focus will be on individualized communication and socialization. Each child will have a one-on-one aide as they go through the day with group activities as well as individual therapies. Parents will be trained in applied behavior analysis (ABA) so that therapy can be used at home.

Read original article: New Preschool Program Caters to Autistic Children in Washington County

School for Autism Graduates its First Senior

scottie — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:37:04 +0000

Teaser:

The Comprehensive Learning Center (CLC) in Pennsylvania recently graduated its first senior, AJ Corless.

Body:

The Comprehensive Learning Center (CLC) in Pennsylvania recently graduated its first senior, AJ Corless. The school opened in 2000 and serves 24 students Pre-K through 12th grade. AJ was diagnosed with severe autism when he was three, but his mother refused to let him be held back. She founded the AJ Foundation and then the school. CLC’s curriculum includes “expressive and receptive communication, social interaction, play, and self-help skills”. Therapists use a form of ABA to work with the children; they also make home visits for continuity of treatment. AJ plays the piano, irons his own clothes, works two part-time jobs and is about to start a third where he will use his math skills.

Read original article: School for Students with Autism Graduates First Student

Young Man with Autism Entertains Preschoolers with His Music

scottie — Tue, 31 May 2011 19:38:30 +0000

Teaser:

Eytan Nisinzweig, a young man with autism from Greenwich CT, has been providing music to the town’s preschool program for a number of years.

Body:

Eytan Nisinzweig, a young man with autism from Greenwich CT, has been providing music to the town’s preschool program for a number of years. In addition, he plays show tunes, classics, and folk songs at the senior center. Once a month, he shares his musical talents at a local church sing-a-long. While Eytan has limited verbal and social skills, he is a talented musician and artist. Along with his community pursuits, he has begun adding his drawings to T-shirts, notecards, and posters on his own Web site – EytanArt.com. He continues to give back to others on the fundraising portion of his site by providing for other kids with autism, special needs, and autism research.

Read original article: Young Man with Autism Finds a Way to Give Back

Teen with Autism Uses Talents to Help Others

scottie — Mon, 23 May 2011 13:51:58 +0000

Teaser:

Michael Wang, a high school senior with autism, has added Courtwarming King to his list of achievements.

Body:

Michael Wang, a high school senior with autism, has added Courtwarming King to his list of achievements. “Being crowned Courtwarming King shows people with autism can have special gifts," Wang said. "People with autism can change things." Meg Wang, his mom and a pediatrician at Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Green Meadows Pediatrics Clinic, knew after his diagnosis, at age 2, that she had a small window of time to work with Michael using applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy. She also reinforced Michael’s social interactions having friends over for play dates. She practiced telephone conversations with him and used social stories to increase peer interactions. Besides his school activities such as the breakdancing club and yearbook staff, Michael is very involved with the youth group at his church. He plans to attend college to become a preschool teacher.

Read original article: Rock Bridge's Michael Wang Transforms Social Struggles Into Strengths

Responding to weighted vest

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:56:33 +0000

When my boy was in preschool we found a "cool" vest that was made out of a heavy fabric. We attached things to it to give it the heavy weight. (He needed it very heavy!) We used clips to attached a water bottle on one side and a little electronic toy he liked on the other side.

When he didn't have the weighted vest and was having a really hard time, I found that putting pressure on both shoulders was very calming for him. For example, when I picked him up from preschool, if he was "flappy", I would say hello while pressing down about 5 lbs worth of pressure on each shoulder. That's a lot of weight for little shoulders, but wow, his face lit up! It was what he needed. =)

Speech and Language Pathologist Dreams of a School for Pre-Teens on the Autism Spectrum

scottie — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:50:17 +0000

Teaser:

Barbara Lechner, an Ohio speech and language therapist, who has worked with preschoolers with autism, wants to give pre-teens the same opportunities.

Body:

Barbara Lechner, an Ohio speech and language therapist, who has worked with preschoolers with autism, wants to give pre-teens the same opportunities. Her pre-school, Language Experience Center, works with 2-year-olds. Lechner realized that pre-teens with autism face different situations, such as those involving social interaction with peers, inner anxiety, and fear of bullying. She is in the grant-applying process for a school to serve 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. She says, “The school would focus on academics but would include art, cooking, gardening and computer classes. Students would be encouraged to develop their special talents.”

Read original article: Granville Woman Pursuing Dream of School for Autistic Youth